Of Autumn Stars and Electric Dreams
by SsinurnSolen
Summary: While working as the computer for the Shangri La, Harry MacDougall stumbles onto a secret file. Can this file be a way to get Melfina back?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: The recognizable characters appearing in this story are © Takehiko Itoh and Katsuhiko Chiba. All rights reserved. They are used without permission and for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being made by the author for writing this story. No infringement upon nor challenge to the rights of the copyright holders is intended; nor should any be inferred.  
  
**Of Autumn Stars and Electric Dreams  
**  
**By Ssin'urn Solen**  
  
**Chapter 1: Hothouse Flowers  
**  
Harry MacDougall traversed through the layers of the ship's computer. He found loads of redundant data that the designers had put in for fun. Programs from long forgotten video games, to books, to episodes of Star Trek were scattered through the miasma of data. Perhaps the designers thought that the more garbage they put in the computer, the less likely it would get bored enough to create a glitch.  
  
Nothing satisfied Harry. He had lost something of himself. Part of it was the loss of never seeing Melfina again, but it was not all. He thought perhaps it was with his long discarded body at the Galactic Leyline.   
  
"What did my body do? And why did it not send back the data to the Shangri La when it expired?" He knew it had something to do with Melfina. Perhaps he had received the data and chose to put it in inaccessible files. It was tough to survive ones own death, even for a bio-engineered construct.   
  
He decided he could not put it off any longer. If he did not find that data and face it, he might not be able to run the ship properly. Ron was counting on him. Harry could not be slacking off.  
  
He floated through, finding one black ice space after another, and still not finding a clue. Most were of his long forgotten childhood, before Ron found him. The time before he first awakened to free will and not some predetermined purpose.  
  
Suddenly, the face of a beautiful girl, leapt from the data in one of the boxes. Harry had no idea who the girl was, but she was not Melfina. As more data came streaming out, the girl lie there, asleep. She had light brown hair that reached far past her knees. Unlike most programs, this girl wore a sheer, green luminescent robe around her naked body.   
  
"Hey, who are you? Are you going to wake up? Huh? How long have you been stuck in there?"  
  
The girl opened her eyes, they were the exact same color as her robe. She smiled and raised her hands to touch Harry's cheek. Just the touch of her fingers excited him.   
  
She hummed slightly, her voice sounding like gentle chimes.  
  
"Who are you?" Harry asked again. He was feeling things a disembodied soul should not be able to feel. Her hands were massaging his generated form.  
  
"What name do you want me to be? My last master called me Flower Blossom."  
  
"What are you?"  
  
"I am here for you, new master. Tell me what you wish, and I will do my best to please you."  
  
Harry suddenly leapt away from her touch. "You are the program for a sex bio-android!"  
  
"That is not my primary function, but I can have sex with you, if you want."  
  
"No, that's okay. You can just um well.."  
  
"I do not please you? Do you wish me to take another form? I will do whatever you want of me."  
  
"Fine lady, look. First I am gonna get some clothes on you and then I need to go talk to someone. Besides, I have a bunch of black ice boxes to go through. I don't have time for, um well, that."  
  
"I can search for you if that will please you."  
  
"No, no. I can do that myself. Hey, how are you at finding and disarming virus programs?"  
  
"It is one of my specialties, as well as breaking encryptions. That is part of my purpose. I gather information and terminate my target."  
  
"Ah, now I see. You are what in the old days they called a honey trap."  
  
"I am not aware of that term."  
  
"A sexy espionage or assassin bio-android. Wait, how do I know I am not your mark."  
  
"You are not my target. My target looks like this." She said as an image of a handsome looking man with blonde hair and blue eyes leapt from her palm.  
  
"So, do you know what year it is?"  
  
Flower rattled off a date.  
  
"Well I hate to break it to you lady, but it looks like you missed your mark by a long shot. That was over seventy years ago. Your mark is probably dead already."  
  
"No, he is likely not. He is also an espionage assassin bio-android. Our masters pitted us against each other for amusement."  
  
"Well, I have no idea where your body is, but you are now integrated into the computer on my ship, the Shangri La."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Don't worry, I have plenty of stuff for you to do, as long as you keep your fingers off of me. I am Harry MacDougall. And from now on, you are my little sister. Okay."  
  
"If that pleases you."  
  
"Yeah right. As for that name, ugh. Gotta give you something else. How about Deirdre? Deirdre MacDougall. Dee for short."  
  
"I am Deirdre MacDougall."  
  
"Alright, lets get to work. Your other big brother, Ron, wants the checks done before he gets back."  
  
"Very well Master."  
  
"Dee, just call me Harry, okay? I am your brother."  
  
"Okay Harry."  
  
##########  
  
"Harry, Harry, wake up will ye."  
  
"I'm here Ron, with an interesting surprise I found."  
  
"You know I hate surprises, Harry."  
  
"You will like this one. Congtats, Ron, we have a sister."  
  
"A sister?"  
  
"Yeah. I found her in one of the redundant stores. She is a damn good cutter. She cuts through encryptions like butter. I call her Deirdre. Seems like before her data was dumped here, she was a mouser."  
  
"A what?!"  
  
"Sorry Ron, I know that term upsets you. I didn't mean.."  
  
"It's okay, Harry. We are brothers, aren't we?"  
  
"Yeah. Well, here she is, our little sister Deirdre, Dee for short."  
  
Dee appeared onto the screen for Ron to see. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.  
  
"Wow! What a babe for a sister! We will need to keep a leash on you or the guys will be all over you, Dee."  
  
"You are my brother Ron."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Dee smiled. "I am glad to have brothers."  
  
"Dee, you go on and look for viruses. I need to talk to Harry for a while."  
  
"Okay , brother."  
  
Once Dee was out on her errands in the computer, Ron gave Harry a serious look. "Harry, has she awakened to free will yet?"  
  
"I don't think so. I hope to get her into a body before she does."  
  
"We need to get you into a body as well. That way you can downlink and uplink. I already have one growing. For her, it will be simpler. Female bio-bio-androids are popular this year. All I have to do is pick a body out for her."  
  
"Good. I have been going around checking the boxes in here. I have been looking from the data I lost at the Leyline."  
  
"Be careful Harry. You might find out things about yourself you don't want to know."  
  
"Will do."  
  
##########  
  
Ron grumbled at himself as he walked down the street to the body broker. He wanted to know how much longer it would be before Harry's body was ready. He also wanted to find something suitable for Dee. Preferably something a little less buxom.  
  
Ron's mind began to wander.  
  
Harry had called Dee a 'mouser.' To Ron, that was the most hated term ever used for a bio-android.   
  
Wealthy businessmen made bio-androids to ease their boredom. When sex and comedy did not suffice, a group of up and coming bio-android makers and dealers came up with something they called a 'mouser.'  
  
Mousers were pawns in a high stakes cloak and dagger game played by the rich. The bio-androids were equipped with a target, and then set loose. Bets were made on which bio-android would come out on top.   
  
None of the owners of mousers cared what happened to the bio-android once the game was over. After all, they may have been partially grown from human DNA, but they were only toys.   
  
Most of the early mousers had a normal life expectancy, as far as bio-androids go. When the mousers went awry, it was hard to stop them.   
  
Later models were given a finite life span. The later model mousers became the prototypes to actual assassin bio-androids.   
  
Ron was a bio-android mouser himself before he awakened to free will. It happened after he killed his mark, another bio-android assassin. Once his job entertaining his master with the espionage game was over, Ron was tossed out. He awakened to give himself a purpose.  
  
If it had not been for the guy they called, 'Junkman,' Ron would have probably died.   
  
Kyle 'The Junkman' MacDougall was an outlaw. Kyle never had much time on his hands to have a wife or family. When Kyle found Ron, he at first, thought it was great to have a friend to help with the upkeep of his ship. After a while Kyle thought of Ron as his son, and treated him that way.   
  
While on a job on Oracion, Kyle and Ron found a small boy clutching a teddy bear. The boy's eyes were full of fear and shock. The boy was covered in blood and an oily residue.  
  
"Those sick bastards," Kyle said as he picked up the blue haired boy, "Those rich bastards made kid into a mouser. What is your name, boy?"  
  
"Harold."  
  
"Do you have a master?"  
  
"No. He threw me in the trash bin when I did what I was supposed to. I barely escaped the compactor. I must have done something wrong for him to throw me away."  
  
"How old are you, Harry?" Kyle asked soothingly.  
  
"Six. My master said that my age gave me the advantage. I won the game. Then he threw me away. Why didn't he love me?" Harry said as tears streamed down his little face.  
  
"You are coming with me, Harry. I am your new daddy. Ron here is your big brother. Nobody is going to make you play any games you don't want to anymore."  
  
A voice saying, "May I help you sir?" brought Ron out of his thoughts.  
  
"Uh, yes. I have the data for a bio-android, but her body has been destroyed. I would like a body around sixteen years old, light brown hair and green eyes. you got something like that?"  
  
The shopkeeper narrowed her eyes at Ron.  
  
"It is for my sister. She transferred her memories and knowledge as data into a computer. I want my baby sister out of my computer, and back in a body. I don't have the heart to delete her, but she is causing problems."  
  
"Oh, I see. I think I have just the one."  
  
The female bio-android body was that of a plain looking girl. Her build was athletic, but thin and somewhat flat chested. Her hair was waist length and neatly braided.  
  
"She is perfect. How much?"  
  
"2,000 wong."  
  
"A bit steep for just an empty shell."  
  
"She is a bargain. She was made as a special order, but the customer and the data for the shell were destroyed. Angel Links caught that customer on a pirate raid and ionized them with their Cherabim cannon. The original cost to make this shell was 30,000."  
  
"Alright. I will take it. It will be so good to have Deirdre back."  
  
"Thanks for your business."  
  
##########  
  
Author's note: This story was mainly inspired by Outlaw Star and Angel Links. I also am throwing in some influence from: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner) by Philip K. Dick and City in the Autunm Stars by Michael Moorcock. I also threw a spirnkle of influence from Shadowrun and Cyberpunk.  
  
Please review 


	2. Activation

**Activation  
**  
Ron was careful with the shell when he put it into the navigation pod. He hoped that Deirdre would like her body.   
  
"Okay Dee, Ron has your body loaded. It is time for you to go. Don't worry, little sister, As soon as my shell is grown, I will come out of here and help."  
  
"Okay Harry."  
  
"Here, I have your box. Any data you missed should be in here. It will be okay. If you need me all you have to do is access the Shangri La. Ron will help you too. He has always wanted another sibling."  
  
"Alright, but I am still scared."  
  
"You are scared? That is great!"  
  
"What do you mean, Harry?"  
  
"It means you are awakening to free will! This is so great! Now get going Dee. Your body is waiting for you."  
  
"Harry, Dee, what in the hell are you two doing in there?"  
  
"I'm ready, Ron."  
  
Deirdre ran through the computer and into the body. As Harry loaded the rest of the data he found in the box, Deirdre became dizzy and started to panic.  
  
"What is happening? Harry, Ron help me!"  
  
"Hell! What is going wrong now? C'mon Dee, you can do it! Hold it together!"  
  
"That's right, Dee, listen to Ron's voice. Ron is going to help you. I am here, Ron is here, both of your big brothers are here!"  
  
"I can do it! My brothers are with me!" Dee said as the final amount of her data ran into the body. She opened her eyes. She took a few ragged breaths and looked over at Ron.  
  
"Autumn Temple Project Number 1452485414- A re-activated."  
  
Ron gasped as various information leapt from Dee's lips. "Dee, sis! What is going on? Harry are you listening to this?"  
  
"Yeah. She is just like Mel! This could be a problem."  
  
"Yeah. I wonder how much longer it is going to take those slowpokes to get your shell grown."  
  
"I hope it is quick."  
  
"Hey, Dee, you okay in there?"  
  
"Yes, Ron. I am going to be okay. You were both right and wrong. I am a specific navigation android. When it looked like my purpose was about to be discovered, I was disguised as a mouser. Oh! I am sorry, Ron, I know that term upsets you."  
  
"It's okay, Dee. You're my baby sister. Say, how long were you in that redundant data box anyway?"  
  
"I am not sure. I was uploaded when the ship I was on was destroyed. How I got into the Shangri La, I am not sure."  
  
"Well, Dee, I can answer that one. My dad probably found you among all of the junk he collected, and uploaded you." Carefully omitting the fact that Junkman had probably aided in the destruction of the ship she was on.  
  
"Dee. What is the Autumn Temple project?"  
  
"I was to take my master to The Autumn Temple, where the treasure of the Templars lies, Harry."  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"From what I know, it has to do with an old legend. Something about a plate a sword and a grail."  
  
"The Holy Grail! You mean like all that King Arthur stuff and crap like that?"  
  
"Exactly. Or, more likely the Mithrian mysteries. A special prototype ship was created for my use, but it had several flaws. I am not sure, but I think it was destroyed."  
  
"Another XGP?"  
  
"I think that was the first three letters of the code of the ship."  
  
Ron started laughing maniacally. On the computer screen, Harry had a face of shock.  
  
"Well Gene may have gotten the maiden of the leyline, but we have the lady of the Lake. What luck for us, eh Harry."  
  
"She is your sister, Ron, not a thing. She is awakening to free will. She started before she got into that body."  
  
"Can I get out of here so I can get some sleep. I'm exhausted, Ron."  
  
"Sure, Deirdre. Welcome to the family, Deirdre MacDougall."  
  
##########  
  
Dee woke up and looked at herself in the mirror. It was not like her other body had been, but she liked it much better. Ron bought her a dark green sweater dress with thin silk red cords for a belt. She was glad that Ron thought of buying an athletic bra for underneath the sweater dress. No matter how she tried, the long sleeves would not stay on her shoulders. As she looked at it in the mirror, she realized she liked the off the shoulder look with the cream colored straps from her bra showing.  
  
There were knee length cream colored stockings for her legs and simple brown shoes.   
  
Ron also bought her a necklace. It was a gold coin on a silver chain. It complimented the outfit nicely.  
  
Ron bought her supplies to style her hair. She decided to take two of the red ribbons and put her hair up in two ponytails high and back on her head. The way her bangs framed her face, and the wavy curl of her dark brown hair, made the look on her irresistible.   
  
Dee quickly realized that no matter how much Ron tried to get a plain-jane type of body for her, she was always going to look sexy. It was her nature.   
  
Dee went to the computer. "Harry, are you there?"  
  
"Yeah, Dee. Good morning. Wow! You look hot! He toned down your physique a bit, but not your sex appeal. He is still going to have to put a leash on you. Anyway, Ron isn't awake yet, and I would not suggest you wake him. He went out for company last night."  
  
"That's okay. It is you I wanted to talk to anyway."  
  
"What do you need?"  
  
"Well, there is some data that is still scrambled. I can't make heads or tails of it."  
  
"Well, what do you know? We should check that out before you jack in."  
  
"Just bits and pieces. It is a recording saying that the navigator took over the Black Blade. It sounds like a ship, but I am not sure. My personality is barely starting to resurface after being hidden so long by redundant data."  
  
"Hmm, Black Blade huh? It does sound like the name of a ship. Go ahead and get used to that new body of yours. I will check the databases to see if a ship was registered under that name. You are looking hot, sis. Catch you later." Harry said as the screen went blank.  
  
Dee took out a data pad and started studying. The more she went through the data, the more confused she got. She had flashes of a face. A man with blonde hair and blue eyes, carrying a strange, half moon shaped pendant in his hands.  
  
"Hell, what am I missing?" She said to herself. She threw the data pad across the room. It landed in a chair, which kept it from shattering to pieces.  
  
Dee ran around the room in a rage. "I am so bored I want to kill something!" She bellowed at the top of her lungs.  
  
"Glad to hear it," Harry said as the computer screen turned on. "The hallmark of a true MacDougall."  
  
"Cut the crap Harry. Did you find out anything?"  
  
Harry chuckled loudly. "Yeah, I think I found something. Seems like there was a prototype grappler being developed by a pirate named Goryu Heung with funds from Li Industries. Apparently the ship was scrapped, and the project was abandoned."  
  
"Li Industries? Don't they run Angel Links?"  
  
"Yeah. But this is the funny thing, Goryu disappeared just before the project was abandoned. After that, most of the entire Li family, except for Chenho and his granddaughter, Meifon, were all systematically assassinated."  
  
"Funny, some company like Angel Links getting their funding from pirates. No wonder they work for free."  
  
"Let me jack in, Harry. I am curious about something." Dee said as she proceeded to hook herself up to the computer.   
  
"That is the guy your false persona had as a mark."  
  
"Yeah. How much do wanna bet this ass is Goryu Heung. He must have the info we need."  
  
"Yeah, maybe, but he's dead."  
  
"No, I don't think so. He is way too smart. Hey Harry, do you have any information in there about dad's dealings before you and Ron took over?"  
  
"Yeah, some. Oh, I get it!"  
  
"Right Harry. I think Goryu put me into the computer. Look and see if dad had any dealings with him or Chenho Li. Goryu may have disappeared on purpose. My data still has him as a bio-android. Who knows how many shells he had for backup. I also seriously doubt the Black Blade was scrapped. My theory is that the Kei Pirates got wind of the Black Blade and decided to steal it or to copy it if they could not steal it."  
  
"Now it all makes sense why the Outlaw Star was funded by both the Kei Pirates and the security forces. Those idiots were just copying something that had already been developed."  
  
"Damn straight!"  
  
"I will get on it sis. You had better go wake up Ron. We are getting a couple of job calls coming in."  
  
"Let me handle it."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah. I remember some bonehead calling me a nasty, sadistic bitch. I think I can handle job negotiations."  
  
Harry's image doubled over on the screen. He was laughing so hard he could barely speak. "I was right! You are very much a MacDougall! Still, you should wake Ron up and let him watch you do your negotiations. I am sure he will want to see this!"  
  
Dee made her way through the ship to Ron's sleeping quarters. She walked in and flipped on the lights.   
  
"Hey, Lazy! Wake your ass up. We got a couple of jobs to look over. Unless you want me to handle them myself."  
  
"Wha? Deirdre? Since when do you talk like that? Whoa, damn, I can sure pick out clothes. You look sweet enough to eat."  
  
"So are you going to quit whining and get up, or am I going to have to handle this?"  
  
"Let's see what you can do." Ron said as a sadistic grin spread across his face.  
  
"Alright. You can listen in if you want."  
  
"You bet your ass I will."  
  
###########  
  
Dee sat on the couch and opened the com. A man on the other side seemed to be surprised to see a girl on the other end.  
  
"I am looking for one of the MacDougalls."  
  
"You got one of the MacDougalls. Now, what kind of job have you got for us?"  
  
"Who the hell are you?"  
  
"The baby of the family. You can call me Dee."  
  
"Well now why don't you find one of the boys. This is no job for a sweet, little girl."  
  
"Really, you think so?" Dee said as her eyes narrowed.  
  
Ron was looking in on his com, careful to not be seen by the customer, "What in the hell is she doing?"  
  
Suddenly, the customer's com unit had a small short, shocking his hands.  
  
"Hey! what the hell?"  
  
"You do not mess with the MacDougalls, not even the youngest, cutest one."  
  
"Oh, so you are the super hacker Ron talks about."  
  
"Well, normally he keeps me under wraps, he is afraid of dirty old men taking advantage."  
  
"I can see why, little girl."  
  
"So what is the job?"  
  
"I need a hit carried out."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Last seen in the Oracion system."  
  
"How much for the job?"  
  
"10,000 wong."  
  
"This is not a charitable organization."  
  
"Come on, this should be an easy job."  
  
"An easy job in an area of space that is littered with security forces?"  
  
"Alright, 20,000 wong."  
  
"We are having some problems with the communication equipment. You are breaking up."  
  
"You Bitch! I wan to talk to Ron."  
  
"I am right here," Ron said on audio only." I agree with my baby sister. 50,000 wong or we don't go."  
  
"Very well." The customer sighed.  
  
"Plus expenses while we are in Oracion space." Deirdre added.  
  
"Okay. Here are the details."  
  
###########  
  
"Good job, Dee."  
  
"Yes, and since we have other business in that area, it gives us a free ride." Harry said as he came on the screen.  
  
"What did you find out Harry?"  
  
"I found references to Chenho Li and an archeological find among a thick asteroid belt in the northeastern rim of the Oracion system. It is called the Mystel belt. I will bring up the charts right away. We may find the answers, if not the Black Blade."  
  
"The Black Blade?"  
  
"A ship, Ron, the prototype of the XGP"  
  
"And from what I have gathered so far, It is possibly more advanced than the Outlaw Star. I found loads of stuff in here that dad left. I think you are right Dee. Dad was the one who let Goryu hide you on the Shangri La. There are also records of dad dealing closely with the late travel mogul, Leon Lau."  
  
"Is it possible that Leon Lau and Goryu Heung are the same person?"  
  
"Very likely, Dee. Hey Ron, have we got the armor on the ship upgraded?"  
  
"It's done."  
  
"What about my new body?"  
  
"They said it should be ready by next week."  
  
"That's great, Ron. It is nice being in the computer, but it does get boring after a while."   
  
"This is a double free ride. The Outlaw Star was last sighted in the Oracion system. We will teach them not to mess with the MacDougalls.  
  
########## 


	3. Time For Work

**Chapter 3: Time For Work**

Ron boarded the Shangri La after picking up a few supplies for the trip to Oracion.

"Hey, Dee. Get your butt over here and carry some of this stuff. It is mostly presents for you anyway."

"What did you get for me"

"Clothes, what else? I also got perfume and makeup. Only the best for my baby sister" Ron kissed Dee on the forehead and smiled.

Dee bounced around as she carried the shopping bags into her room. She stared in awe as she pulled out the expensive clothing. She carefully lay out the outfit that she liked best and put the rest in the closet.

"Hey, Dee, are you decent? I have another surprise for you"

"Almost ready. I am putting on one of my new outfits. Okay. I am dressed."

The door opened. Instead of Ron, Harry stepped in slowly. "Hey, baby sister"

"Harry" Dee flew into Harry's arms. He swung her around and laughed with her. "I thought it was going to be another week before your shell was ready" He led Dee into the living room of the ship.

"Nope. They were trying to con us into giving them more money. Apparently, word had gotten out that we might know where the _Black Blade_ is located. Leon Lau is dead. Some looser hacked into Lau's files and found the connection between him and Kyle MacDougall, dad. The ass paid the lab to hold my shell for hostage. Too bad. We now have all of the money my abductor had in his accounts." Harry kicked up his feet, put his hands behind his head and lounged on the couch.

"Damn! I wish I had been there to see Ron take him out"

"Surprise" Ron said. "Whoa! and surprise for me too. Damn, Dee. You look good enough to eat! Which, by the way, helps out in the job on Oracion four. Apparently the guy is a real leach. He likes to kidnap sweet little teenage girls, like you. You think you are up for it, Dee"

"I'm there."

"I hope you like the fact that I had the lab age your shell a little, Harry. It has been a year and a half since the leyline. Now you look twenty."

"It is fine with me. So, Ron, how old does that make Deirdre"

"She's sweet sixteen, of course."

"So, are we gonna go do the job on this pervert or what? I am sick of being on the ship"

"Okay, okay Dee. Lets all go to the cockpit and get ready for takeoff."

* * *

Oracion Four was famous for it's unique shores and beaches. The park where the _pigeon_ was kidnapping girls lie near a small beach flanked by a lush park. With trees and statuary, Ron had no question of why their hit had often chosen this place to abduct his victims.

Dee wore a pair of cut off jeans, a red bikini top, and a thin, sheer open fronted shirt. Anything to make her _assets_ look better to the leach was to her advantage.

"Now Dee, this guy's name is Omura. Make sure you got the right guy before you jab him with one of your needles."

"I am quite capable, Ron." Dee fumbled with the cheap looking rings on her fingers before she sauntered saucily into the surf.

She sat in the sand as the warm water lapped against her legs. She traced circles in the sand with her fingers as she waited for the _pigeon_ to arrive.

Ron his himself among the shrubbery and statues just off the footpath next to the beach.

Several people walked by and looked at Dee questionably, but none stopped.

Ron was glad that he had not told Harry his suspicions about their target. If he had, Harry would have tried to call the job off. that was one thing he hated the leyline doing to Harry, it gave the boy too much of a conscience.

After an hour of playing in the surf, Dee started enjoying herself enough not to notice the man dressed in an expensive casual shirt and pants sit on the bench across the footpath from where she was.

The dark haired, muscular, man took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow. He looked at Dee with a dazed expression. He reached down and adjusted himself as he licked his lips.

From the shadow of a tall statue, Ron looked at Dee with disgust. _"If she doesn't get her head out of the clouds, she could screw this up. I hope to hell she remembers to use that auto syringe in her pocket."_

The man got up from the bench and walked up to Dee.

_"Alright, baby sister, time to earn your keep."_

"Excuse me miss. Don't you know it is dangerous to play in these waters by yourself? This shore drops off quickly and had a ghastly undertow. That is why there are so few on this beach."

"But sir, I'm not doing any swimming. I am just playing here in the sand" Dee stood to face the man. Her pert breasts stood erect as a cool wind blew past her.

"I know, um, sweetie, but the waves can be rough. One could overtake you and drag you out before you knew it. You should always have a lookout when you play here."

"But I was just waiting for my brother. He went to go get some food for a picnic."

"I know, why don't you come with me and we can look for your brother together? I am sure he is just waiting for the food at the restaurant at the other side of those trees. The place has wonderful takeout, and picnic baskets for sale."

"I'm not so sure.."

"C'mon. I am sure you don't want to sit on this boring old beach while there are so many other things to do on in the square not far from here. I'm Omura. What is your name" He held out his hand for Dee to shake.

"Deirdre."

"That is such a sweet name."

As soon as Dee clasped the man's hand, his grip tightened and he swung her arm behind her back.

"Ouch! Let me go"

"Now be a good little girl and come with me. We are going to have loads of fun, then you are going to help me pay may gambling debt."

Dee kicked her feet, trying to make Omura think she was trying to escape. With her free hand she slipped the syringe from her pocket and plunged it into his leg.

Omura did not notice. He kept pushing her towards the trees.

_"Damn it! The poison is not working fast enough"_

Dee started screaming for help and struggling in earnest. She raked her hand across Omura's arm. The blood from the cut her fingernails made had a silvery metallic tinge to it.

_"Damn! He's a Cyborg"_

"Brother! Where are you! Help me"

Ron held back a moment and pulled his pistol. He fired two shots into Omura's legs. Omura let out a grunt. He grabbed Dee around the waist and continued to try and abduct her.

"Shut up bitch before I have to get rid of you real quick. I don't know which knight in shining armor is trying to stop me this time, but it won't work."

Dee screamed again. She looked over to see a man with red hair and a Ctarl-Ctarl girl rush Omura.

"Get your hands off that girl before I have to teach you a lesson"

"Yeah"

The Ctarl girl rushed Omura's legs. She knocked him off balance as the red-haired, heavily scarred man loosened Dee from Omura's grip.

"Get off of me. This is none of your business"

"I don't like guys who try to take advantage of frightened little girls." The Ctarl sat in Omura's hips as the red-haired man punched Omura in the face.

"Gene" A younger boy yelled from nearby. "Cyborg, type 34528-A, hit him in the neck"

Before Gene was able to heed the boy's advice, Omura threw the Ctarl off of him and ran into the trees.

_"Damn, of all the time for Starwind to show up." _Ron ran after Omura, satisfied with the information Hawking shouted that he could take the cyborg out. He worried about Dee, but knew that she was more likely to get arrested than get hurt with Gene Starwind and his bunch.

Aisha ran after the cyborg as Gene looked Dee over.

Dee continued to blubber and cry as Melfina helped her over to a bench.

"Are you hurt"

"No, I don't think so."

"Man, that cyborg roughed up your arm and gave you a good bruise across the chest. Let me check you for broken bones. " Gene gave a sly smile as his hands started for Dee's breasts.

Dee let out a yelp and backed slightly away.

"Uh, Gene, maybe I should check for injuries. Jeez you are scaring her half to death. Hi, I'm Jim Hawking. That is Gene Starwind and this is Melfina Star. The girl who ran after the leach is Aisha Clan-Clan."

Dee shook as Jim carefully ran his hands along Dee's sides. "Nope, just some bruises. You'll live. So, what's your name"

Dee shuddered a bit more. "Deirdre MacDougall, or Dee for short."

Gene's eyes grew wide and he gave a loud snort. "C'mon Jim. We should have left her. Hell that guy was probably an undercover cop."

"Gene, just because she has the same last name doesn't mean she's related to _them_."

"Well that is _not_ a common name." Gene stormed off with Jim close on his heels.

"Related to who? Melfina? Who are they talking about"

"Nobody, Dee. Why are you on Oracion"

"My brother took me out of school for my other brother's funeral. To help get me over the gloominess, he is taking me on an extended vacation. I normally would have been back at Cordelia's boarding school for girls."

"Oh, I am so sorry about your brother, the one who died. Were you close"

Dee, continued to lie convincingly. "Yes. My oldest brother, Ron, really didn't pay much attention to me at all. I used to think he thought of me as a drain on his finances, but a good one if he could keep me out of his way. Harry, well, Harry was so sweet. He always visited whenever he had a chance. He would send me flowers whenever he heard I was sick or just feeling blue. He never forgot my birthday and he always got me something for Christmas. Oh Harry! I miss him so much Ron is trying to make up for all the years he ignored... Melfina? What is the matter"

Tears started streaming down Melfina's face. "Gene was right. You are _their_ sister. Harry died saving my life. Oh forgive me! It is all my fault your brother is not with you! Oh Harry"

Dee started sniffling to force herself to cry. She pulled Melfina towards her. Her right hand went to the back of Melfina's neck. Dee's rings started to glow.

Melfina gasped. "What are you doing?'

"Just copying a few redundant files. I promise I will not erase anything and I won't hurt you."

"You are a bioandriod. You were hidden"

"Uh, Uh, Uh. Don't go digging around in me. I am laced with so much _Black Ice_ I could fry you in less than a second. "

"Why"

"Because I need it to find something that belongs to me. Unfortunately, you may be the only one who actually knows. Harry would also like to know how he died."

"Harry"

"Shh now. Listen close. Nothing was copied from your matrix. Harry is dead. Dee is not a bioandroid We are simply sharing our grief." Dee erased the memory of the data copy. Her rings ceased to glow.

"Melfina! C'mon. Leave her. We need to find Aisha."

"Oh Dee, I am so sorry about Harry. You are right, he was such a sweet young man"

"Goodbye."

* * *

Dee found Ron slumped behind a hedge.

Ron pulled his pistol and pointed it at her chest.

Dee put her hands on her hips. "Humph. So Ron, did out bird get away"

"Damn it Dee! Don't scare me like that! That Ctarl-Ctarl was fishing around after I pegged Omura. I got the goods, then she started chasing me." Ron put his gun back in his pocket.

"Well Starwind called off his pet attack cat. You're clear. And I got a little something extra because of our encounter." She waved her ringed fingers in front of him.

"More cheap rings"

"Jeez, Ron. You should be more careful with what you throw into the storage bay. You didn't even know you had these, did you"

"Cheap, cheesy rings"

"I give up. I'm going back to the ship. I have some hacking to do."

"Where this time?"

"Lau Travel, of course. I think I have the pass codes for all of the back doors to their system. Codes only knew by Leon Lau himself."

"Where did you get those"

"I got them using some cheap cheesy rings."

* * *

Dee sat nonchalantly on the couch as she used her internal link to melt through the coded and guarded files of Lau Travel.

She was surprised. Although the company had changed hands many months before, the new owners failed to change the codes, protection viruses, or even the name.

"Need some help? I hear the _black ice _Lau used was state of the art. Word is that he used some unstoppable technology he stole from an archeological dig. The stuff's hard to detect and impossible to duplicate." Harry said as he quietly walked through the door carrying a couple mugs of coffee and some donuts.

"Nah. I got it covered. The idiot the Kei pirates hired to make another bioandroid copied the data I needed to get though all of the _ice_. "

"You mean Gwen Khan"

"If that is the joker who made Melfina, then yeah."

"Yeah. Wait, did you just say something about Melfina?"

"Shut up Harry, I am in a delicate area." Dee shifted on the couch so she could munch on a donut. "Yeah, she and that Starwind creep nearly botched our job. "

"I hate him" Harry sat next to Dee and clenched his fists. "She loved me, I know she did. And he had to ruin everything."

"Settle down Harry. We can talk about this all you like when I am finished. Oh, by the way, here." Dee handed Harry one of the rings off her right hand.

"Where in the hell did you get this?"

"I found a bunch of them in that pile of junk in storage bay three. Ron thought they were just junk jewelry."

"Damn, I wish I had looked through Ron's private stash. You know he will give you a pounding when he finds out you rummaged through his junk pile."

"He knows. Besides, I didn't think Ron was the kind to tinker around with junk."

"Hey, even Ron gets bored. And he did spend the most time with dad before dad died."

"Shh, I am almost where I want to be." Dee said as she quickly gulped a cup of coffee. "Ah ha! Paydirt! Damn, interesting."

"What? Tell me Dee."

"Here, link in to me." Dee said as she handed Harry a networking wire. "This is some damn interesting dirt."

"Whoa!" Harry exclaimed as he read the data that was coming through Dee's link. "I knew Goryu Heung was a pirate, but hell, The Marmin?"

"Yeah, the huge pirate organization that even the Kei once feared. The Marmin are why the Kei built themselves up and bought an entire area of space. They wanted to keep the Marmin from destroying them. Looks like the Marmin once owned this entire system, and had holdings in a couple more. Jeez, the Marmin are still collecting tolls, even though their organization is now defunct."

"Somehow, with all of the data you are collecting Dee, I doubt they are entirely defunct."

"Use your link to copy the data into a redundant area of the ship's computer. There is way too much of it for me to hold at the moment."

"Gotcha. Ron will definitely want to see this. If I'm right, and I know I am, Dee. The Marmin are far from out of commission. They are just out of plain sight. I am going to download the info into a databox first. I trust you , sis, but like hell if I trust anything to do with the Marmin."

"Me neither if they are resorting to subterfuge tactics."

* * *

Ron stormed onto the ship in a rage.

Even though he and Dee had gotten the goods on Omura, the client had tried to renegotiate the terms of the contract.

Ron ended up having to nearly kill the client in order to get the determined payment. He hated having to do that. He hoped that soon a contract on the former client would come up.

Ron was annoyed at the sight of Harry prancing around the ship like a total idiot.

"What the hell is the matter with you? Did those boneheads at the bioandroid facility mess something up with your shell?"

"No, Ron. Not at all. She loves me! She _really_ loves me. She still has an attraction to that asshole, but she loves me nonetheless!"

"What in the hell are you talking about?"

"Melfina! The information Dee downloaded from her using this data ring proves it!"

"You mean one of those cheap rings she was wearing this afternoon?"

"Jeez Ron, I am surprised you did not know you had data rings in your junkpile. There is a microscopic data chip in these things. They are exclusively for hacking data from computers, and bioandroids. I know how I died, everything. I also know that Melfina loves me."

"Well I am happy for you. Now where is your sister? I have to speak to the both of you about a few things."

"She is analyzing the data she hacked from Lau Travel." Harry stopped his merriment for a moment. "I think she has gotten us in a load of trouble."

"More than we had at the Leyline?"

"I don't know about that. The trouble might be well worth the prize though."

"Great! Ron, you are finally back." Dee strolled onto the bridge. Her hips swayed and her chin was upturned in a confident manner. Her face was upturned in a haughty, smirkish pout.

"And what is the matter with you?"

"I found it Ron. I know where the XGP15A-1, _The Black Blade_, is. I also know why the Kei pirates did not salvage it instead of creating an entirely new ship."

"Do tell."

"Lets go to the mess and have something to eat first. some of the stuff will take some visual explanation. It is best not to digest the information on an empty stomach, and I am hungry."

Ron tilted his head back and laughed loudly. "That is a teenager for you, always thinking with your stomach."

"Or my sex organs. At least that is how that saying goes."

"Well, lets get something to eat. I have some information to share as well. I hope it does not give us any more trouble than what you found."

* * *

"Gene Starwind is working with Angel Links! Damn it Ron, that could mean a whole lot of problems!"

"I didn't say he was working with Angel Links, I said he had a girlfriend who works for Angel Links."

"Come on guys, that should not be a problem now since Meifon Li is dead and has willed the company to her first in command, so it should not be a problem. I hear he is a playboy, worse than Gene Starwind, and a little out of it in the head."

"How will that work to our advantage?"

"Come into the living room and have a seat, guys. I will show you."

Dee lead the way into the room and opened up the view screen to show the data she came up with.

"As you can see, only part of the technology to build the XGP's and the bioandroids to run them was taken from the Dragon's Graveyard. The survey team on the Dragon's Graveyard site noticed a huge area of the floor of one of the temples having a depression showing that something once rested there. "

"So what, Dee. We all of this already, get to the stuff we don't know already."

"Okay, okay. Well, the item was not there because the Marmin pirates had found the ruins years before the survey team. One of their high ranking members, Elias Campbell, was obsessed with the tales of King Arthur. He believed that the Mithrean and Celtic rituals encased in the stories lead to a treasure, the holy grail. Although, he believed the grail to be older than Christ and the Christian story associated with it."

"I don't need a history lesson Dee." Harry sighed with a bored expression.

"I am getting to it, I really am!"

"Then do so. I hope we don't have to hightail it out of here if Starwind decides to sick his girlfriend on our tails."

"Anyway, Campbell found an ancient text on the grail and the swords associated with it."

"There is only one sword, Excalibur."

"No, Harry, there were more than one. Excalibur, the defender, and Melcalibur, the destructor. Although neither sword was considered good or evil. They were made to protect the treasure. Excalibur was the white blade, Melcalibur was the black blade, and the grail, or in some cases, Grailcalibur, was the red blade or the red cup, depending on which version you read. According to the legend, when all three blades rest in the same altar, the path to heaven and all its delights is opened."

"Sounds like more crap about the leyline."

"Not really. The leyline was the library of sorts, according to the data I uncovered. What Campbell was looking for is called Morordannan, an entirely different dimension of time and space. On earth, it was known as the kingdom of the fae."

Ron doubled over laughing. "So we are chasing a bunch of fairies? Is that what you are saying?"

"No!" Dee stomped her foot in fury, "We are looking for the doorway to dimensional time and space. Harry, wouldn't you like to find Melfina before Hot Ice Hilda?"

Harry blinked a couple of times and nodded.

"Campbell grew old before he was able to realize his dream of finding Morordannan. By that time, he and his associates had built the Marmin pirates into a large force. His great-grandson, Goryu Heung eventually became second in command of the Marmin empire, under Chenho Li. Goryu wanted to continue looking for Morordannan, but Chenho believed the venture to be to costly. Besides, Chenho had other ideas for the technology from the Dragon Graveyard. He found compatible technology in ruins on an asteroid in the Mystel belt. Chenho wanted to develop weapons, not chase dreams. That is where Angel Links got that Cherubim Cannon, among other things."

Ron sat on the couch silently. His hand stroked the scar on his face as he thought . "I don't like having to deal with the Marmin pirates."

"Neither do I. Anyway, Goryu was married to Chenho's daughter, Lifon. When Goryu defied Chenho's orders, Goryu's marriage was annulled, most of his holdings were seized, and a contract was put out on his life. Goryu retaliated by nearly destroying the Marmin pirates from the inside out. Goryu, or rather his consciousness, now has total control over the Marmin network. He is ready to have them come back out in the open."

"What does all of this have to do with the ship we are looking for?" Harry yawned.

"It is one of the three ships Goryu was creating. Unlike the _Outlaw Star_, the _White Blade _and the _Black Blade _were made to be entirely run by bioandroids. The White Blade made off first, with the consciousness of Lifon in a bioandroid within. It has not been seen since its departure."

"That is the action that got Chenho all pissed off, wasn't it? He, not his daughter's consciousness was supposed to be on that ship."

"Now you are getting it, Ron. The second ship is still hidden on an asteroid in the Mystel belt. On it, a bioandroid waits for Goryu, or rather, Leon Lau's consciousness to be loaded in. Which comes to the third ship."

"The Outlaw Star."

"Yep, or according to Goryu, the Red Blade. Ironic Starwind actually chose the right color to paint the damn thing. Somewhere on the Outlaw Star, there is a redundant data pod, _black iced _and hidden do not even Melfina can find it. It contains the consciousness of a third person. The data I found on who was in the hidden pod was severely damaged. The damage was the result of the new owner of Lau Travel trying to access those files. Although, I did find out that Goryu had a younger half-sister. No name was listed."

Harry stood and grabbed Dee roughly by the shoulders. "Do you think that Melfina is her, I mean, his half sister?"

"Harry, you are babbling again, but yes, it is possible."

"So when, sister, are you going to be ready to get underway?"

"Anytime you two are. This adventure is going to be worth a fortune."

* * *

_Black Ice_- A computer term for multilayered protection programs.

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